Greg Rutherford is eagerly anticipating a return to the Olympic Stadium for the Anniversary Games this summer and believes the meeting "could be better" than London 2012.

The Olympic long jump champion won gold last year on a memorable evening for Great Britain, when victories for Mo Farah and Jessica Ennis contributed to an electric atmosphere inside the stadium on "Super Saturday". Farah and Ennis will also return to Stratford in July, as will Usain Bolt, and tickets for the first two days of the event sold out in just 75 minutes last month.

Rutherford admits going back to the place where he clinched a surprise gold will be special, but says it will be emotional for all of Britain's athletes who competed last year, while also being important preparation for the world championships in Moscow.

"Going into that stadium is going to be very special indeed," said Rutherford. "It's going to be full of crazy British fans going absolutely off the wall. If anything, there's a chance it could be better than Olympic night because we'll just have track and field fans going wild. That's something I can't wait for.

"It's going to be emotional more than anything because it's something that has completely changed my life. That night, August 4th, was a life-changer for me and I get to go back out there to perform again. It's a fantastic opportunity and I can't wait.

"I remember that moment when I walked out for the Olympics, it was very emotional and I got that rush of adrenalin. I imagine it will be the same again. Even though it won't be an Olympics, it will be incredibly special for any British athlete who steps out there."

Rutherford, who came third in his first meeting of the season at the Diamond League in Shanghai last week, recently stated his belief that he "could be one of the fastest sprinters in British history" if he switched full-time to the 100m, with his personal best over the distance currently 10.26sec.

"I'm probably not going to get the chance to do that as, ultimately, I have to stay a long jumper because that's what I do," he admitted. "But I think I can run quicker than a few that are around now and possibly cause an upset here and there."

The 26-year-old, who recently lost his sponsorship with Nike, has stated he will turn his attention to track in the future, but after a leap of 7.99m at Saturday's Great City Games, the long jump remains his primary focus.

On his performance in Manchester, he said: "The crowd were absolutely fantastic, they really got behind us. It was a bit like going into a home stadium, everyone went absolutely wild and it gets you going a bit more.

"It [his performance] wasn't too bad. The hard thing is when you go through the rounds so quickly your energy levels drop, so I had to muster up quite a lot by the end of it, because I'd just done four rounds and it knackers you out really quickly – 7.99m is OK, I'm happy with it. Hopefully I can maintain this run of decent performances. With that, confidence and big distances will come.

"Something like this [event] is great because it's free, people can come and go, nip off to the shops or for something to eat, and then come back again. It's a great way of people getting excited and involved."

Rutherford admitted he was surprised to lose his Nike backing, but is hoping to make up the financial loss by bringing out his own sports clothing line. "It's something that often happens," he said of the sponsorship cut. "I'm taking a gamble by bringing out my own stuff to try and sell and make up the loss. I'm not contracted to anybody, so I don't have a single endorsement as things stand."